New Year’s Day is a brief respite of seven days, they say it’s a break, but in reality, it’s still busy.

On the evening of the first day of the year, the emperor hosted a banquet for the ministers and their families. It went on until almost dawn before they returned home. Ji Sang yawned repeatedly and even took off her headdress with a tired expression.

In the following days, colleagues frequently brought their families to visit the Ministry of Agriculture.

Wen Jian had a headache but couldn’t do anything about it.

Finally, the New Year passed in such a busy period. Ji Sang also found some time to stroll with Wen Lishi on the streets of Beiliang City. Although it was her first time in Beiliang, she didn’t show much interest in the new things on the streets. She grabbed Ji Sang’s hand and went directly to the largest pharmacy in Beiliang City…

—

In the evening.

Wen Jian returned under the cover of the night.

The steward greeted him with a nervous expression, “My lord, you have finally returned.”

Wen Jian looked puzzled at the steward’s anxious appearance and asked, “What’s wrong?”

The steward said, “Madam went out with the old lady in the morning. When the old lady returned, she seemed lost, hiding in her room without eating lunch. She said she wanted to see you immediately upon your return…”

“What about my wife?”

“Oh, Madam didn’t look well either. She said there was something happening at the Bamboo Alley and went out. She hasn’t returned yet.”

Wen Jian furrowed his brow and changed direction, heading out.

The steward, seeing this, hurriedly said, “Um, my lord… Madam’s quarters are that way.”

Without looking back, Wen Jian replied, “She has my father looking after her.”

The steward: “…”

It took the steward a while to come to his senses.

Hey, this lord!

He has a wife but forgets his mother!

—

Bamboo Alley.

Since Mr. Ge moved his shop to Beiliang, his business has grown larger and more prosperous. At this moment, when he saw Wen Jian entering the courtyard with broad strides, he greeted him with his plump figure.

“Oh, my Lord Wen, you finally came. Hurry…”

“Where is my wife?” Without a word, Wen Jian walked towards his front hall.

Mr. Ge stopped him and pointed to the rooftop. “She’s up there!”

Wen Jian’s footsteps abruptly halted, and he looked up at the rooftop. He saw Ji Sang holding a wine jug, drinking from it. The moon behind her was large, enveloping her entire petite body in its light. For some reason, Wen Jian felt a sense of loneliness and desolation.

It felt as if an invisible hand had tightly gripped Wen Jian’s heart, causing him pain and making it difficult to breathe.

“How did she get up there?”

He spoke again, his voice low and hoarse, as if crushed by the weight of a wagon wheel.

“She climbed up herself. How else could she get up there?” Mr. Ge had been working with Ji Sang for years. She was extremely intelligent and gentle by nature, so he had never seen her in such a distressed state before. “Did you two have an argument? She came over in the morning and hardly said a word. She took a few jugs of wine and went up there, and she has been sitting there all day…”

“She won’t come down even when called. I’ve never seen such a stubborn woman!”

Mr. Ge continued to chatter, but Wen Jian didn’t wait for him to finish. He climbed up the ladder next to him.

Mr. Ge was left speechless.

It was the first time in his life that someone climbed onto his rooftop, and there was nothing he could do about it.

Wen Jian quickly reached the rooftop. His dark eyes focused on a small figure not far away. Ji Sang was curled up, holding an empty wine bottle in her hand, and three jugs were overturned at her feet.

Wen Jian walked over briskly.

Ji Sang heard some sounds and lifted her face from her knees. Her eyes were red, and the wind had turned her nose red as well. Her high ponytail, tied above her head, hung down to her chest. She stared at Wen Jian for a while, and a faint smile slowly appeared at the corner of her lips. It was a forced smile, even more pitiful than crying.

Wen Jian’s heart skipped a beat, and he called her softly, “Sang Sang?”

“You’re here.”

Wen Jian sat beside her and reached out to take the wine bottle from her hand. “What happened?”

Ji Sang paused for two seconds, then suddenly hooked her hands around his neck, burying her head in his shoulder. Tears streamed down her face, drop by drop, flowing into his collar. Her shoulders trembled with intense sobbing.

Wen Jian was startled by her appearance. He held her tightly in his arms and noticed how cold she was. Her little face was ice-cold. “Sang’er, what happened?”

Ji Sang shook her head vigorously, but the tears kept pouring out as if they were boundless.

Wen Jian felt a sharp pain in his heart, and he patted her back with his large hand, holding her even tighter, as if he wanted to meld her into his own body.

The two of them sat on the rooftop for a long time. Ji Sang cried herself to sleep in his arms, and only then did Wen Jian carry her down the ladder.

Mr. Ge had accompanied Ji Sang on the rooftop for as long as she was up there, and both of his feet had gone numb. His large belly made him feel somewhat guilty for his two hardworking legs.

Fortunately, the two of them went back inside, and he could finally rest in his room for a while.

___

Wen Jian carried Ji Sang back to the Dasi Farm. The housekeeper had been waiting at the gate, but Wen Jian signaled him not to make a sound. He lowered his head and looked at the woman sleeping in his arms, her tear-stained eyes still wet. It felt as if his heart had been cut open.

What had happened?

He couldn’t break away to investigate now. All he could do was carry her into the room. He called for the servants to bring hot water and carefully wiped her face and body. He held her cold feet close to his chest, trying to warm them.

The room was extremely quiet.

Ji Sang’s eyelashes flickered, and the cold cells in her body slowly revived. Her feet moved in his arms, and she opened her lips to say, “Wen Jian, I’m hungry. I want noodles with two eggs.”

Wen Jian glanced at her and replied, “Okay.”

“I want to eat the ones you make,” she said.

Wen Jian paused for a moment, then nodded and said, “Alright, I’ll cook them.”

He stood up, put the cloth into the basin, and walked back. Lowering his body, his handsome face came close to hers. “Sang’er, if I give you a reward, will you kiss me, and then I’ll go down to prepare the food?”

Ji Sang had been crying for a long time, and her eyes were sore. She rubbed her eyes and turned around, facing away from him. Her nose felt sour, and she suddenly felt so weak. Her voice sounded muffled. “No, after you’re done, I’ll kiss you.”

Wen Jian’s finger brushed against her ear as he helped tuck her hair behind it. He leaned down and kissed her cheek gently. “Then I’ll kiss you first. You owe me… Don’t cry anymore. After you’re full, tell me what happened, okay?”

Ji Sang didn’t move. She buried her face deeper into the blanket.

A touch of pity flashed in Wen Jian’s dark eyes. He gently rubbed her hair and wiped away the tears on her cheek before leaving the room.

Ji Sang listened as the fading sound of footsteps gradually disappeared. She cried into the blanket like a child, and her mind was filled with the scenes from the morning at the pharmacy.

—

“It’s difficult to regulate!” the doctor said, stroking his beard.

Ji Sang immediately wrote down a prescription for the doctor to see. Because she had been taking medicine before, this prescription was already familiar to her. After the doctor looked at it, she realized that the contraceptive prescription she had always thought it was turned out to be a gradual regulation for her.

She couldn’t get pregnant at all, so Wen Jian would never practice withdrawal…

The doctor asked if her hands and feet were often cold.

She quickly shook her head.

The doctor said, “This prescription only treats the symptoms but not the root cause. However, it can alleviate the cold symptoms. Soaking your feet regularly is also beneficial for your health.”

…

Ji Sang was stunned at that time.

So.

In fact, Wen Jian had known all along.

Was it during the time when Li Bo took her pulse? Did he already know then?

He said there was a medicine that could be used for contraception.

He said they didn’t need to rush about having children.

___

Ji Sang didn’t know how she walked out of the medicine shop. When the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law sat back in the ox cart, it was so quiet inside the cart that even the sound of a falling needle could be heard.

After a long silence, Lady Wen spoke, “Ji Sang, I know you’re a good daughter-in-law. But our Wen family cannot be without children.”

Ji Sang pursed her lips, feeling an indescribable sense of unease rising in her heart. Not being able to conceive and not wanting to conceive were two completely different matters. In this ancient era, there were three unfilial acts, and not having descendants was the greatest.

“Mother, just say it directly,” Ji Sang replied.

Lady Wen said, “My idea is for Wen Jian to take a concubine.”

Ji Sang retorted, “Wen Jian won’t agree.”

However, Lady Wen said, “You won’t know if he agrees unless you try, or is it that you don’t want to?”

Ji Sang looked directly into Lady Wen’s eyes, pondered for a moment, and counter-questioned, “Mother, if I can’t bear children in my lifetime, will you not consider me your daughter-in-law for your whole life?”

Lady Wen sighed deeply and said, “Sang Sang, why don’t you understand what I mean? Wen Jian taking a concubine is only for the sake of having children. You are my daughter-in-law, and I will recognize you for my entire life. The children can be raised in your chamber. I know! I know that you and Wen Jian have a good relationship, and you can’t tolerate anyone else. It’s fine, once the concubine has a child, she will follow her parents back to the countryside and will never bother you here.”

Ji Sang felt a pang in her heart and angrily said, “But isn’t this harming the child’s mother?!”

With another deep sigh, Lady Wen said, “Daughter, if this were the case for your father and me, I would agree!”

The atmosphere between the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law suddenly became quiet and suffocating.

The ox cart moved slowly, and the noise of the cart wheels gave Ji Sang a headache.

As they were nearing the Grand Minister of Agriculture’s residence, Ji Sang looked resolutely at Lady Wen and said, “Mother, I’m willing. Give me, give Wen Jian three years. If Wen Jian is still alone by then, you must permanently dismiss your thoughts, even if it means we will never have children in our lifetime.”

Lady Wen didn’t understand and asked in confusion, “Sang Sang, what do you mean?”

The ox cart stopped in front of the Grand Minister of Agriculture’s residence. Ji Sang got off the cart without any particular expression on her face. However, her words made Lady Wen, who followed closely behind, inexplicably tremble in her heart. Ji Sang turned back and said, “Mother, you’ll understand in the future.”

_

“It’s hot… Sang’er, quickly get up. The noodles have been rinsed with cold water, they’re especially chewy. This time, I made meteor eggs that you like. They’re not spoiled…” Wen Jian hurriedly walked in from outside and gently placed the bowl in his hands on the table.

The noodles were topped with garlic leaves, vibrant green, and the fried eggs nestled on both sides, making them look appetizing.

After placing the bowl, Wen Jian went to the bedside. “Lazy girl, do you want me to carry you?”…

“Sang’er?”

“Ji Sang!”

The bedding was neatly arranged, without a trace of a young woman.

A sudden sense of unease surged in Wen Jian’s heart. His hands, hanging by his sides, clenched into fists. He searched the room, his heart growing increasingly anxious. Even his shouts were tinged with a hint of inexplicable fear.

“Sang’er…”

“Sang Sang…”

He ran outside and shouted loudly.

The housekeeper had intended to sleep but hastily put on clothes and rushed over in a flustered state. “Master? Master… What happened?”

Wen Jian’s dark pupils were filled with a chilling, murderous intent. He gripped the housekeeper’s arm with such force that it almost dislocated the old man’s arm. “Where is my wife? Where did she go?”

The housekeeper winced in pain, his brows furrowing tightly. He uttered, “Ah, ah, ah…” before saying, “Madam, wasn’t she brought back by you?”

Wen Jian suddenly pushed him away, his face darkened, and his tone turned rough. He forcefully suppressed the impending sense of collapse and roared, “Go, immediately notify the gatekeepers. Instruct them to keep watch and intercept her if they see her. If my wife is missing, send people to find her right away.”

The housekeeper felt the oppressive pressure emanating from the man and trembled like walking on thin ice. He hurriedly ran out without considering the direction.

Wen Jian felt as if his heart was being roasted on hot coals. The feeling of possibly losing her was like a heavy blow, making his heart feel stifled and painful!

Why?!

Wen Jian couldn’t understand. He turned around and quickly ran towards Wen Zheng’s room…

Yes!

He had to find out!

…